Darren Sammy has been removed from his position as captain by the St Lucia Stars after a run of six successive matches without a victory in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League. Shane Watson, the former Australia allrounder, takes over the leadership of the team and will be assisted by his new deputy Marlon Samuels.

A press release from the Stars on Thursday insisted that Sammy remained an integral part of the team. Barring the results, Sammy has had a good tournament, scoring a valiant fifty against the Barbados Tridents, at the end of which the opposition captain Kieron Pollard joked he was thankful for the rain stopping Sammy before he could do further damage.

To "incorporate some fresh thinking as the team completes this season and builds for 2018," the Stars management has decided to end Sammy's stint at the helm after 40 matches across five seasons.

"If it were not for Daren, St Lucian cricket would not have the standing it does in world cricket and his ability to lead both on and off the field remains unquestioned," owner Jay Pandya said. "However, after the results that we have seen over the first half of the 2017 Hero CPL, a change is needed to freshen things up as we look to win the remaining four fixtures this season."

The new captain Watson has excellent credentials in T20 cricket, with 5691 runs and 194 wickets and has led teams in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League. Watson has scored 45 runs in four games in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League.